1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to user interface methods and apparatus that enable one or more electronic devices to be responsive to user who utters a verbal command while simultaneously manipulating a physical interface in a time-synchronized manner. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods and apparatus that enable a user to convey commands to one or more electric devices, the form and/or function of the commands being dependent upon (a) the sensed characteristics of how the user physically manipulates the physical interface, (b) the sensed characteristics of the verbal utterances spoken by the user, and (c) the time synchronization between the physical manipulations and the verbal utterances.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Traditional gamepads, joysticks, and mice allow a user to command input to video games, personal computers, and other electrical devices through manual manipulations, but typically do not provide a means for inputting commands based upon specific spatially enacted manual gestures, such as waving a wand in a particular gestural manner, and do not recognize commands based upon the manual gestures being time-correlated to spoken utterances, such as verbalizing a specific command-related incantation. Other systems have been developed that allow users to wave a wand-shaped interface as a means of sending a command to an electrical system. See, for example, U.S. Patent Application 20030069077 A1 to Korienek, which is hereby incorporated by reference. However, such systems do not provide a means for inputting commands based upon a spatially enacted manual gesture, such as waving a wand, time-correlated to a spoken utterance, such as verbalizing a specific command-related incantation. Furthermore the system disclosed in Korienek does not appear to disclose methods for detecting, processing, and recognizing each of a plurality of distinct manual gestures imparted by the user and responding accordingly with differing control of one or more electronic devices for each of the distinct manual gestures. U.S. Patent Application 20040166937 to Rothschild et al., which is hereby incorporated by reference, allows a user to provide input to a computer gaming system through detected manual gestures or through spoken commands, but does not appear disclose user interface methods responsive to spatially enacted manual gestures that are time-correlated with a spoken utterance as is disclosed herein.